IIMC faculty barred from criticising govt

Central institute adopts strict service conduct rules

New Delhi: Faculty at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) will not be allowed to criticise the government from now on after Central Civil Services Conduct (CCS) rules have been made applicable to them. A decision in this regard was taken “unanimously” at a meeting of the executive council of the institute in Delhi on Saturday, IIMC director-general K.G. Suresh said.

While the decision to impose Central Civil Services Conduct (CCS) rules, which prohibit criticism of the government, on the IIMC faculty has not gone down well with few faculty members, IIMC director-general K.G. Suresh said that the decision was adopted unanimously.

“This is being blown out of proportion by some faculty members. The only thing is that we have made a categorical mention about the silent by-laws so that there is no discretion. It is to strengthen the staff and end any ambiguity. The EC has unanimously adopted our proposal. It is aimed at greater transparency,” Mr Suresh told this newspaper.

The state-run institute had set up a committee to deliberate on the issue. It recently recommended that wherever IIMC bylaws are silent, CCS rules should apply, which has now been accepted by the EC.

During the deliberations, a few faculty members had placed their objection before the committee. Three JD-U MPs had also raised the issue with I&B minister Smriti Irani.

The committee had brushed aside the teachers’ contention regarding unconditional and absolute freedom, saying that it cannot be accepted as the Constitution itself provided for reasonable restrictions on the fundamental right as enumerated in Article 19. According to the media school under the ministry of information and broadcasting, the Central Civil Services Conduct (CCS) rules will now be applicable on the faculty of the IIMC.

However, some faculty members feel it is an “assault on academic freedom.”

“I personally don’t support the implementation of these rules because I feel this would affect the academic freedom. IIMC is a media institute where we train journalists to be fearless but how do I teach the student to be fearless and objective when I am myself bound by certain draconian rules?” said a faculty member, on the condition of anonymity.

Mr Suresh further maintained that the CCS rules have been implemented with immediate effect.